Applicant has conceived numerous inventions relating to structural integrity monitoring and structural health monitoring. Such inventions may be used to detect the formation, and/or monitor the propagation, of cracks on or in a component or structure. Examples of such inventions are provided in various patents including U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,794; U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,776; U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,661; U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,365; and, U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,882.
By and large, these inventions require the use of a substantially sealed fluidic circuit which is in communication at one end with a pressure source and an opposite end with a cavity sealed onto a surface of the structural component.
The present invention arises from further development by Applicant in the above field of technology.
It is to be understood that, if any prior art publications referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or in any other country.